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Future Final Fantasy Remakes Teased by Square Enix to Be Even Longer Than FF7 Trilogy

Remakes of Final Fantasy games have proven to be popular in recent years, with the obvious success of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series being a clear indication. With FF7 Revelation marking the third remake game of the 1997 PS1 classic, it has taken a long time to see that re-invention of a beloved title reach its conclusion. However, despite how much time has passed to finish the FF7 Remake series, developer Square Enix has revealed even longer plans for future remake games from the franchise’s past.

Some of the best Final Fantasy games in the series are long, story-driven RPGs that sometimes take dozens, if not hundreds, of hours to beat. Re-releases or visual remasters of these titles have been common, with collections or ports often bringing back fan-favorite entries in the iconic franchise with plenty of memorable characters and stories. As a result, any eventual remakes will likely be huge endeavors, with plenty of expectations that will take years to develop into something polished.

Final Fantasy Creators Hint That Future Remakes Could Have More Games In A Series Than FF7

Given how impactful the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series has been, it’s likely that other Final Fantasy titles will be getting remade after Revelation, especially the most notable ones. That being said, comments from series creators and developers hint that any potential Final Fantasy 6 or Final Fantasy 8 remake could turn into a series too, much like FF7. Instead of a trilogy, though, future Final Fantasy remakes could be four, five, or even six separate games to tell a complete story.

This comes from statements made by Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of Final Fantasy 7 Remake projects and likely the person who would be involved with future series remakes. During the Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest event, Hamaguchi was asked about the scale of potential remakes, to which he responded by saying any game of that sort would likely be far larger in scope. Although Hamaguchi did not confirm involvement in any remake projects right now, he said that new remakes could span “four or maybe even five installments.”

Hamaguchi would later state that remaking games like Final Fantasy 6 inevitably are harder without someone who has a clear vision, encouraging the possibility of a different director than himself for such a project. The scale and scope of a new remake series would likely have to plan for how many games it takes up, both to give players clarity and to set various goals for developers. One of the reasons why FF7 Remake and Rebirth work so well is because they only adapt a portion of the original Final Fantasy 7‘s story, with limited scopes that allowed developers to expand upon certain segments of the original game.

More Final Fantasy Remake Series Could Take Up To A Decade To Finish

Considering how Square Enix are likely still working on Final Fantasy 17 too, dividing any remake project into multiple games makes sense. At the same time, it might be frustrating for fans to have to wait many years for a Final Fantasy remake to conclude from start to finish, with incomplete experiences meant to prolong a game’s nostalgia. For example, imagine if Final Fantasy 6 had a remake series that covered four different games. Based on FF7 Remake, it took four years between FF7 Remake and Rebirth, and another three years between Rebirth and Revelation.

By that math, FF7 Remake has taken seven years to conclude, but FF6 could get a remake that takes 10-12 years to finish with four or five games. By that point, some players who play the first game in a remake series when they are teenagers would be young adults by the time the last title comes out. This is a far cry from the original Final Fantasy 6, which provided a full experience with a clear beginning, middle, and ending in a singular package.

That one game tied together great story telling with memorable characters, impactful events, and beautiful moments without having to extend any content, even if the gameplay might be “dated” by modern standards. The same is true of other games from the series, including FF7 in many ways. This decision from Square Enix may be an overly ambitious direction for new Final Fantasy remakes, unnecessarily extending games instead of re-inventing experiences that keep a similar scope that’s easier for players to digest.

Do you think another Final Fantasy remake series should last four to five games? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

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